The 51st edition of the Gdynia Polish Film Festival - one of the oldest film events in Europe, promoting Polish cinema will take place there from 21st to 26th September 2026. Located on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea and one of the youngest and most modern cities in Poland, Gdynia celebrates the 100th anniversary of receiving its city rights this year while its Modernist City Centre was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in July.
"This year expecially having the centenary of Gdynia we're going to celebrate this beautiful birthday at our festival so guest will be able to discover all the faces of the city during the presentations and films we are going to show but also talks around the films. We absolutely want to catch the sould of the city" Joanna Łapińska, artistic director of the Festival told Polish Radio's Danuta Isler.
According to the organisers, 16 films have been selected to compete in the Main Competition for the prestigious Golden Lions, including 5 feature-length directing debuts, and 28 films will screen as part of the Short Film Competition.
Among this year's contenders are director Paweł Pawlikowski with "Fatherland", which won the best director prize at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as well as Jan Komasa's "Good Boy" and "Hot Spot", Agnieszka Smoczyńska's latest film which premiered at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival on 24 July, 2026.
Click on the audio player above for a report by Danuta Isler.